Allergen Information for Food Businesses: A Practical Checklist

If you run a cafe, deli, bakery or market stall, customers rely on you to tell them what is in the food. This checklist draws on the guidance for food businesses published on GOV.UK. It is a starting point, not legal advice, so confirm your own duties with your local authority food team.

Step 1: Know the 14 allergens

The guidance lists them as: celery; cereals containing gluten (such as wheat, rye, barley and oats); crustaceans; eggs; fish; lupin; milk; molluscs; mustard; peanuts; sesame; soybeans; sulphur dioxide and sulphites (at a concentration of more than ten parts per million); and tree nuts, including almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts.

Step 2: Work out which type of food you sell

The guidance treats "prepacked for direct sale" (PPDS) food as food packed on the same premises from which it is sold, such as sandwiches, salads and pies. PPDS food needs a label with a full ingredients list, with allergenic ingredients emphasised within it. Food sold loose, without packaging, follows different rules.

Step 3: Give allergen information for loose food

For non-prepacked food, the guidance says you must supply allergen information for every item that contains any of the 14 allergens. You can do this in writing, on a menu, chalkboard or in an information pack. Alternatively you can give it verbally, as long as a written notice in a clearly visible position explains how customers can obtain the information. The Food Standards Agency says written information supported by a conversation works best for consumers.

Step 4: Reduce cross-contamination

The guidance suggests:

• cleaning utensils before each use, especially after preparing dishes containing allergens;
• washing hands thoroughly between dishes with and without certain allergens;
• storing ingredients and prepared foods separately in closed, labelled containers;
• keeping allergenic ingredients apart from other ingredients;
• remembering that shared cooking oil can also transfer allergens.

Step 5: Be honest when you cannot guarantee

If cross-contamination cannot be avoided, the guidance says you should tell customers that you cannot provide an allergen-free dish.

Step 6: Train and review

Make sure everyone who takes orders knows where your allergen information is kept and who to ask when they are unsure. Review the information whenever a recipe or supplier changes.

Always read the full, current guidance on GOV.UK and speak to your local authority if you are unsure which rules apply to your products.

In ZRKEE's seven areas

Allergen rules are national, but inspections are carried out by your local council's food safety team. If you trade in one of ZRKEE's seven areas, find your council's food safety page and keep your allergen records ready for a visit.

ZRKEE currently lists verified independent businesses in Birmingham (36), Thurrock (31), Nottingham (29), Slough (26), Woking (26), Northamptonshire (23) and Croydon (22). Choose your area in the app to see who is trading near you.